BOXING: No signs of rust from hero Jones.

Byline: NICK PEET 

MICHAEL JONES shook off his recent ring inactivity to produce a masterful performance on the McKeeverMulholland undercard on Saturday night.

Commonwealth lightmiddleweight champion Jones gave away at least a stone to one-time IBF world title challenger Howard Clarke at Everton Park, but controlled the six-round contest from the first bell to the last.

Seven months of inactivity, due to an operation to remove a build up of calcium on his right elbow, had threatened to upset the Speke champion's momentum in the early rounds against the visitor from Warley.

But the 28-year-old former amateur star showed no signs of discomfort as he threw punches with both hands in a one-sided opener.

Despite giving away so much weight and power, Jones shifted through the gears in the early rounds, landing big hooks with both hands and dancing away from Clarke's counter shots.

With the crowd enjoying every minute, Clarke tried to break Jones' style by stepping inside to try and mix it up close, but the champion used the smooth footwork he groomed in the amateurs to move out of trouble.

Boxing superbly off the back foot, Jones asserted his pressure in the final three minutes and even pressed forward looking for a late stoppage before Clarke was saved by the bell.

On the referee's scorecard Jones, who moves to 17-0, won every round in a 60-54 decision.

It was a perfect confidenceboosting performance for the 11-stone ace, who will be back in the gym this week as he focuses on the first defence of his Commonwealth crown in March.

Alex Moon also got back to winning ways, crushing Bulgarian import Vladimir Borov 60-56 in another six-rounder. The Kirkby cabbie, chasing a return with Coventry's Dean Pithie who took away Moon's Commonwealth superfeatherweight crown last year, was busy throughout.

And he had Borov in plenty of trouble in both the third and sixth rounds en route to victory.

West Derby lightweight Ricky Eccleston recorded the same 60-56 winning scoreline over Mancunian Mark Haslam in what was a massive result for the Liverpool fighter.

After suffering his first pro defeat in 12 fights last September, Ecclestone needed a positive outcome on Saturday night and dug deep against a gritty opponent.

The going was a little easier for Speke super-feather Colin Toohey who performed very well against benchmark journeyman Peter Buckley.

Toohey recorded a comfortable 6 0-54 result over the Birmingham veteran.

Cruiserweight Tony Moran closed the show with his seventh professional victory on the bounce against Birmingham's Michael Pinnock.

The 31-year-old Kensington giant was at least a foot bigger than the visitor, but still boxed convincingly to carve out a 40-36 whitewash decision.

Despite no local connections, the two other contests on the eight-fight card had the capacity crowd on their feet.

Lightweights Gary Hibbert of Oldham and Brummie Anthony Maynard both visited the canvas during their explosive non-title six-rounder.

Both fighters were victims of Liverpool's newly crowned WBU world champion David Burke in 2002, but were well matched here and the 56-56 draw can only point to what would be a welcome rematch.

Manchester light-middle Jamie Moore completed the card with a strong points decision after six good rounds with Russian Akhmed Oligov.

Tony Dodson's chiefsupporting international 10round contest against American Shannon Landberg was pulled from the card after the Indiana veteran failed his medical.

CAPTION(S):

GUESS WHO'S BACK: Michael Jones lands an uppercut